Our Third Year. . ':lf j|| A Word to Members of She League. SS 'Weigh in with your Wads.'' The Returned Soldiers and Citizens Political Federation, has entered up0|| federation links up the returned soldiers and loyal citizens of Australia into one huge political oraanlsation which is in no way allied to any party. It is out for Australia, with Bifl Australian ideas. - . . . . . , V/v This tremendous factor in the political world was brought into being mainly^ j: '? by the work done by the Queensland League, which was_ the pioneer of the move- ?= .4 ment. The work was done by self-sacrificing returned soldiers and citizens at M heavy cost to themselves. - . v ? ..... ? * 1 'kfim It is new your opportunity to' join in this splendid progressive movement. , ,^'g * The annual subscription to the Queensland Division of the Federation is, for— v Returned Soldiers .. ?? ....... ?? ?? \i~ Citizens (males not eligible for service) .. ... . ? .. 2/5 * Citizens (females) .. .. ?? ?? ?: ** ?? '...

Brown's Surglary. Again we were all sitting round a camp-fire in Palestine. The night was what the Tommies termed cool, but which we Australians had no hesitation in as serting was cold, with .various adjec tives, according to individual taste, qualifying the temperature, according to taste. Not far away the guns of Jacko were firing in a half-htarted and desul tory manner, as if the enemy was tired of his job and indeed we all believed he was, although the Hun behind him was not. We were not. talking war. We had it and no man values what he has. Rather were we swapping lies in the . time-honoured fashion of the land we had all been so glad to fight for, until— well I have sworn to cut- politics out till I get home again, if Fate has that in her lucky bag. 'Did you chaps notice how poor Yince worried about things, before the last scrap?' It was the Banker spoke. He had not handled securities or counted gold for . many a long day. 'And Vince went under.' 'Do you mean that because- a ...

❖ - ' «l» i ® From Near and Far # I 1 ?-? . . t Land Settlement in Palestine. The , following article on land settle 4?neiht;in: Palestine, taken from 'The Kia ; Orsi Coo-ee' will be read, with interest:— \-u A' great many enquiries are being made . ;.^y; iriembers of all Units in the. E.E.F. re * garding the prospects . of settlement in Palestine after the war. In all cam : paigns this same desire for settlement has been apparent— -the desire is as old as war itsell. After the Boer war, a large number of Britishers remained be ihind in Natal, Transvaal and the Free State; but with few exceptions, the .venture, instead of proving lucrative, tended by the settlers returning to their ?own country, poorer but wiser men. The same desire will lead to the same results ; in Palestine, unless the principle of settlement by colonies is adopted. Th« Jewish system has much to commend it, tout it 'also has its bad points. Before . any more comments are made, it will be ? wise to state that, up ...

FURLOUGH FOR PKLmrMZ ?pZG&amp;P?,- It may be of moment, to iiiuuv f :r readers interested in the question' to read the official report of the question raised by Senator Newland in the Upper House and which concerned furlough in Eng land for Australians with the Palestine force:- — Senator Newland asked: — In view of the arduous conditions of life, the stren uous desert fighting, and many hardships endured by the Australian troops in Egypt and Palestine since the commence ment of 'the war, and the fact that for nearly fouir years they have been prac tically debarred, from the privileges of civilisation, will the Government consider the advisability of affording as many of the men of these forces as may desire to do so an opportunity to visit England and France prior ' to their return to Aus tralia? Senator Peare, in reply, said:— -The matter referred to by the honourable Senator has already been the subject of communications with the Prime Minister (Mr. Hughes) in England. - \ : ...

CATCHING THE BALLOON. - You will all be glad of some new games to .play at your holiday parties this year. The game of 'Catching the Balloon' is very easily arranged, and quite exciting to play. ' All you require for the game is a few toy balloons. If you are unable to get them you can make do with thin paper bags well blown up» and tied securely at the mouth. Clear the room, by placing the chairs,. etc., against the wall. . The spectators can seat themselves upon the chairs. One ? of .your balloons is now suspended from the centre of the ceiling, and your p,re parations are complete. Choose six players to start the game, and having* blindfolded them, turn them round three - times so as to confuse them as to their whereabouts? Now tell them they are to try and catch the balloon. It is the greatest fun to watch their efforts. The winner is almost sure to burst the bal loon, and the loud report adds to the fun. Whoever catches the^Jb.alloon first is pre— - sented with a small prize. ?...

A REASON FOR THE WAR. ? J. P. F. writes : — Among the reasons^ which have been given for the war is orie^;:': view which, as far as I know, has never,/; been publicly :. advanced, yet it carries-;,/' with it a semblance of reliability. It has\ bedn stated that the Kaiser had his eyes-'-; on the Throne of Great Britain, basing^ his claim, on the fact that he. was the -'-, eldest child of Queen Victoria, and that- ^ 'he and his staff were drunk with ambi tion to become the rulers of the world. ' If this opinion is a correct one, it ex- / plains much more than appears oh the -si surface. It is definitely certain, that .there was a definite object in v.;' ? L a settled plan of campaign -in - e'/mtono when Germany went to war, the o.i wA. 'I probably being to plaice the Kaiser, lmv British Throne. ~ ? '' The great question of the League of £'?;! Nations is undergoing modifications and /- ? a in the direction obviously the only sane^'' standpoint-'— that the Alliance is the germ, .whence ...

SPEEDING UP THE EMPLOYMENT OL SOLDIERS. Advice from Melbourne states that ar rangement's are being made by the Re patriation Department so that soldiers re turning to Australia may utilise the ma chinery of the department to secure em employment befbre they are actually dis charged from military service. Under the new 'arrangements, soldiers may re gister for employment during the time of their final leave. If positions are found for thiem, they may take them up with out waiting for their discharge. As they will continue to receive military pay until , they are discharged, however, the Re patriation Department wttl not regard them as eligible for sustenance allowance. Is there - anything sincere about Ger man republicanism? There may be, but there is not a doubt about the sincerity of the German monarchists who have secured the lawful heir to the Imperial throne, the ex-Grown Prince's son. When the time serves he will be produced of course. ' ? * * - , * , * As one notices the enorm...

NEWS OF YOUR FRIENDS. A Weekly Budget to the Boys. Dear Comrades, — 'Gleaning up' is about the best, defini tion that can be given of the work the soldiers will have to do for some time cleaning Mp after the war. The question ? ?exercising all who have boys on war ser vice is the part you will play in that work. Any way, the perils of war are at a«H whfttihftr vou be employed to an cuu) „ — - gawison the forts at the Dardanelles or are on the list of those who are soon coming home, we know that barring the ordinary accidents of life, you will ere long be on your return to Australia. How we all long to see you again, for some of you, having been away three or four years must have changed greatly, in fact ?we know you! have, by the photograps .. you jiAve sent to us, photos taken ii^Lon Uon, or in Cairo. Some of those who ?vvent forth full of high hope and gallant resolve will never return and these we mourn as you, who have lost sterling comrades, mourn them. Like you, how ever, we h...

Complaints C oncerning a Transport. RETURNING SOLDIERS LEAVE SHIP. In the 'Courier' of Monday last ap- . peared the following telegram .from Mel bourne under date of 29th December : — Five hundred New South Wales and Queensland soldiers, who reached Mel bourne by a transport' on Friday, refused to travel further by that vessel. They were given leave to go ashore on Friday, but could not be persuaded to re-embark and continue their journey by sea. On reaching Melbourne they called at the rooms of the Returned Sailors' and Sol diers' Imperial League, and made serious charges of bad feeding, over-crowding, . and lack of discipline on the transport. Those charges were later repeated to the staff officer for returned soldiers, and again the _emn firmly refused to return to the ship by midnight, when their leave would expire. Last evening a special train was pro vided for the men, who travelled to Syd ney on the understanding that they would pay their fares. Before entrain ing the men all...